1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to spoons designed for feeding infants and invalids. More particularly, but not way of limitation, the present invention relates to a spoon body which can be attached to a compressible reservoir such as a closed tube or syringe for feeding predetermined quantities of food or medication from the compressible reservoir into the spoon body for consumption by the infant or invalid.
2. Background
Spoons are obviously well known in the art. Many proposals have been put forth in the past for the purpose of dispensing predetermined quantities of food, medication or other beverage or soft solid to a consumer who might be an infant or an invalid. However, the art does not teach attaching a compressible reservoir, containing a predetermined quantity of liquid or semi-liquid material to be dispensed through a longitudinal axis into the spoon.
The present invention provides a feeding spoon consisting essentially of a spoon body and an attached compressible reservoir such as a flexible closed tube, possibly of plastic material, or a syringe which would have a plunger and graduations on the side of the syringe to indicate predetermined amounts to be dispensed to the spoon body. The xe2x80x9cspoonxe2x80x9d portion of the spoon body looks quite similar to the conventional spoon; however the handle of the spoon body is quite different in that it contains a longitudinal passageway which communicates with the interior surface of the spoon, and in that it also extends rearwardly away from the spoon body into a threaded adaptor which can be connected to the discharge end of a tube or syringe.
Reference to a xe2x80x9ctubexe2x80x9d means the conventional closed end tube which is generally sealed at the bottom by crimping, fusion or other method which closes the bottom in a liquid tight manner, and which has an upper threaded opening of reduced size which is closed by a threaded cap. Such tubes can contain tooth paste or medications such as ointments or salves. Obviously, the tube which is attached to the spoon body in the present invention can contain a predetermined quantity of liquid or semi-liquid material, especially some type of food or medication, which would be fed to an infant or invalid. Similarly, the syringe, when attached to the adaptor on the spoon, can dispense predetermined quantities of liquid into the spoon for the simple reason that the graduations on the body of the syringe will make it evident how much material has been dispensed into the spoon.